Stuck in Backstage
by LordLenne
Summary: Claus and Ninten are stuck alone with each other again, although this time unplanned, and they both didn't expect to take advantage of the situation. ClausTen/ClausXNinten. Implied NessXLucas. Sequel to Stuck in Detention.


How could this have happened?

Claus leaned his head against the door, pressing forward with frustrated force and sighed heavily. He thought that something would happen just at that moment he feigned his loss of hope, but it was to no avail. He was still trapped in the rather narrow room, but not alone.

"Why the hell does it have to be locked from the outside?" Claus asked.

"Because there's stuff in here that can't afford to be stolen," said Ninten.

"Seriously?" Claus muttered. Who was going to steal dumb theatre costumes?

Claus looked over and saw that the other boy was lying down against a great pile of clothes, purposely thrown into the back of the corridor between bagged, dry-cleaned costumes. Seeing Ninten relaxing like the situation was no big deal caused Claus to grow even more irritated.

"What are you even doing?!" Claus exclaimed.

Ninten threw his self at his mini-bed, "Well, I'm waiting patiently, since we're trapped here."

"Instead of doing nothing can't you do something to help us get out of here?" Claus hastily looked around the room.

"There's nothing we can do," Ninten told. "That's the only door. There's no other exits."

"Well, maybe a ventilation we can climb through?"

"That only works in the movies," Ninten told. He pointed upwards at the ceiling, "Besides, the one up there isn't big enough for either of us."

"Ugh." Claus stamped the floor once and leaned his back on the door, sliding down against it. He ended up laying his aching head on the comfort of his arms and knees. "So we're really stuck here?"

"Yep, until someone finds us, or until the play is over."

Claus huffed out once more. Pressing his head against the door, he could hear the weak echo of a microphone amplified voice. He faintly remembered the beginning scenario of the school's play as he continued to listen to the audible words he was able to hear. He wondered if Ninten could hear it too, and if it bothered him to listen to like it does now.

Claus felt anxious. They had no way to contact anyone from their situation. Forced to volunteer as tertiary-tier helpers for their high school's play, they had their phones confiscated for the night. In exchange for them, and being able to leave without issues, they were tasked to complete the jobs that no one else really bothered to do.

They first finished their job of assisting the other helpers push the heavy props onto the stage, and they were especially heavy, but still manageable. No one really thanked them for their effort, because all they had been were two extra helping hands unknown to every coordinating member in the theatre group. Their next job was handing out the costumes and props to every acting member, and they all went to change and prepare for the play. The show had begun soon after that, with no one returning to the props room, all but for one older staff member, who thought no one was inside the room, all due to the fact that Claus and Ninten were temporarily hiding within layers of hung clothes while organizing them. It wasn't until the light turned off that they had noticed the door had been quietly shut and locked on them.

Screaming for help wouldn't work. Everyone in the school building was watching the play or participating in it. Either way, the play required focused attention. Those who didn't have a role to play at the time were in the main theatre box, doing a last minute rehearsal of their lines. No one was distracted enough to notice the two boys' absence.

It then came to Claus' thought that no one might even remember that they were still here. No help would arrive at most until the end of the play, which was about an hour and a half long. With no form of communication to call for help, Claus felt like breaking a hole in the wall just so he could get out.

Ninten, despite looking calm and collected, could no longer stand the silence. He clumsily shifted his self in his uncomfortable pile of clothes. His own shirt sleeve had been caught in the loose buckle of a costume hanging nearby him. When he tried to tug it away, he ended up pulling down more clothes upon him.

Claus silently giggled at the sight, "Dumbass."

"Shut up," replied Ninten's muffled voice. He pushed his self up and brushed the clothes off of him, not caring to return them to their original positions.

Claus zipped up his sounds and leaned back against the door. He was still hoping a miracle would occur, but at the same time, he suspected that with his luck, there would be no help at all. He then relished the fact that the he would be sitting out of odd jobs with a good excuse to back it up.

He still didn't want to accept the situation, though. "Is no one really going to come?" he asked.

Ninten sat up. "Who knows," he told. "We just have to sit here and wait."

Claus let loose another great sigh.

"Don't feel too bad, at least you're stuck with me." Ninten grinned in the darkness.

"That makes it worse," Claus sarcastically responded.

"Oye, that's mean."

There was another break of silence between the two. Claus let his head slide to the left and land against a hanging costume, cushioning his impact with the wall.

Ninten fell backwards onto his bed of fabrics. "While we're here," he began, "anything you want to talk about?"

"What is there to talk about?" Claus questioned.

"Well, nothing can leave this room," Ninten said, "so maybe we can share secrets?"

Claus chuckled, "Like I'd trust you with secrets."

"Oh don't worry, you have my promise this time," Ninten said. "I'll even tell you mine."

"Don't really care," Claus replied. "I just want to get out of here."

Ninten puffed lightly. "You're no fun."

"Sorry to disappoint ya."

Ninten cracked his knuckles before using his hands as a second pillow for his head. For a moment, he hesitated to speak again, doubting if he should say what he wanted to disclose to his friend. He eventually reasoned that the situation was good enough to influence chatter to ease the boredom of a potentially long wait, so he thought, why not? He loved to talk, and he knew Claus wasn't the kind of guy to gossip or blackmail. He was more of a competitive kind of guy, and was actually curious to see what kind of response he would make to what was about to be unveiled.

"I'm not actually a virgin," Ninten blurted.

Claus pretended to take a spit-take, harshly blowing air out at the surprise. "You what—?"

"That's my secret," Ninten told.

"I didn't ask you to tell me it."

Ninten slyly grinned, hoping his friend would notice his smug decision. All that came was a small pause of silence in the midst of the quiet echoes from the outside, and then the ginger-haired boy finally caved in.

"…Who'd you lose it to?" Claus asked.

"Huh?"

"Your virginity," Claus uttered reluctantly.

"Oh, it's not a who," Ninten replied.

"What?" Claus repeated.

"Yeah, a what. I lost it to a dildo I bought."

"…"

Claus sat in silence, almost wanting to slap his face from the surprise that Ninten revealed. Instead, he mockingly laughed at the other boy. Once he fell forward, his tone became obvious.

"What's so funny?" Ninten asked.

"Ninten," he slurred in the midst of his laughter, "you can be really stupid sometimes, you know that right?"

Ninten blushed angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Claus gasped for a breath after a last chuckle, "It only counts if it's with someone else, not some sex toy."

"...Oh."

Claus could sense the embarrassing flush Ninten had then put on. He heard and could imagine the swift shuffling of the raven haired boy's knees being brought up to his chest, so that he could hug it and bury his face in them.

Claus snickered one last time, at least he hoped, and wiped a tear from his face. "But wait, where'd you buy a dildo from?"

"I bought it from a porn website. Secretly, with my own money, of course."

"Why?"

"'Cause I thought using it would be fun."

"…Was it fun?"

"Yep. Felt great."

"Felt great? Putting it in… _there?_ "

"Yep."

"Oh…"

Ninten's discomfort faded away as he proudly revealed the details of a secret he never minded sharing with his friend. Claus, however, was in a state of surprise, hearing Ninten confidently utter his experiences with what would be considered a taboo conversation for the ears of their daily school peers and teachers. He was left sitting in silence, his eyes wandering into the darkness, curious to see Ninten's expression at the moment. He wanted to better picture that boy, who always looked innocently happy at daytime, attempting to use a sex toy.

At that instant, confusion and a strange sense of guilt wrought over Claus, followed by a hesitant blush. He wondered what Ninten would have said if he had just admitted what he thought about. Though, he figured he wouldn't have minded, since Ninten originally swung the other way. At the same time, however, he was still genuinely curious about the sensations Ninten experienced, and continued to ponder instant scenarios about it. Then he placed his self in the images, trying to grasp the feeling. It never completely worked.

Claus grew more frustrated, having an anger that overwhelmed his initial rage at his trapped situation. He knew Ninten was often a peculiar and eager boy, and had expected to skip steps in life quicker than he did. Though, he never prepared to feel jealous about it.

Ninten mixed a great sigh and groan together, one obvious enough for his boredom to be easily pointed out, and also snapped Claus back into their situation. "This really is boring."

"Wh—" Claus half-stuttered, "—we really can't do anything but sit here, right?"

"For who knows how long, yeah."

Why not take advantage of the situation, Claus thought next. They were both bored, with nothing entertaining to do. Ninten admitted his sexuality and had clearly hinted some interest towards him, recalling their after school detention a week ago. Claus' desire for a romantic relationship gradually grew, ever since Ninten basically offered to relieve the frustration of seeing his twin brother in a relationship without him. He thought, why not just do a little "play date", just between the two of them?

He needed something to spark the scenario he wanted. Out of panic to make as much of the time they potentially had alone together, he thought of a false secret to tell, without thinking of the consequences.

"Wanna know my secret then?" Claus asked.

Ninten looked up, "Oh? Yeah?"

"Well, I'm not really sure if it could be considered one," Claus immediately added. "But I…I think I might be…bisexual?"

Ninten perked up, crawling once with his knees eagerly pressing into the ground, as if waiting to jump on cue.

"What makes you think that?" Ninten asked.

"I..." Claus continued slowly, "…thought of you as a pretty okay guy, before. But now…I think you're really great…and cute."

Ninten's blush fell pinker, his whole body frozen. "…You think of me like that?"

"…Yeah."

Was Claus uttering passive compliments with a genuine intent? That's what they both questioned to their selves. It left Ninten disordered for a moment before a sense of appreciation surfaced. He sat back down with crossed legs to focus a good reply, though he kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"Well, Claus, I've admired you for a long while—" he responded. "—or… actually, it's more like I've been jealous of you."

"Jealous?" Claus questioned, unaware that his face lit up red. "Of _me_?"

"I mean, I'm just an average guy. But you're good at sports, computers, math, science, and all that stuff. You're even more popular with both guys and girls than I am."

Claus kept quiet, unsure of what to say. He was the one that was supposed to be jealous of things, and not Ninten of all people. Hearing the continued compliments left him stunned.

"And, you're the best looking guy I know," Ninten finally said.

They sat frozen for a moment, both of them glowing red in the darkness. It wasn't until they heard faded cheering from the auditorium that woke both of them up. Ninten realized what he had just said.

He shot his farther from the other boy, snapping his head back up for his deepened blush to be visible even in the darkness. He tried to escape the room, crawling upon fabric after fabric and eventually had his back against the wall. He didn't know why he widened the gap between them, he just ran away as if he expected Claus was going to do something bad.

Using the blackened light that crept through the small gaps of the doorway from the black box room, Ninten saw Claus' face that crawled two hands and knees closer. He was gently smiling.

The boy he crushed on just kept getting closer, and closer. Ninten was both scared and excited. He had too dreamed for a scenario such as this, but never expected it to actually happen. The only thing he could do was watch the other boy crawl towards him.

Then, Claus stopped, sitting on the pile of clothes as well, right in front of the other boy. Their faces finally met at an equal height, hasty and darkened eyes locking into each other.

Ninten slowly leaned forward, still uncertain that what he thought miracle was occurring. When he heard unsteady breathing clearly close to his ears, he was certain that Claus was in front of him. He clumsily reached his hand out for the other, wanting to grab hold of a shoulder. Instead, his hand accidentally met Claus' warm cheek, carelessly caressing it softly, before dropping it down to touch the warmth of his neck.

"I'm guessing it's okay if we kiss…?" Claus quietly asked.

Ninten awkwardly nodded, and then remembered it was still dark to see. "Yeah."

Lowering his legs, he invited Claus to crawl closer, and Claus obliged. He trapped the younger boy between his legs, his body just above the other. Even still apart, they could feel the stiff tension and racing heartbeats in each other.

With the faint light as guidance, Claus slowly reached for Ninten's face. His thumb gently landed and brushed against the Ninten's cheek, calmly lowering it in search of the bottom half of the face. His other fingers tickled what he was sure the chin, and eventually his first finger met the edge of the lips, feeling a faint hot breath of fresh mint against his skin. He could finally lean forward with confidence.

Just another second later, Ninten could feel the space getting smaller and smaller. He knew what was getting closer. The familiar scent of the other boy's cheap cologne was becoming more eminent.

Ninten's eyes shut closed—for what was the purpose of keeping them open? He knew he was not able to see in the first place. Still, he desperately wanted to be the first person to witness the expression of Claus' first kiss. His yearning made the next moments of calm all the more enjoyable.

Claus finally clashed his lips—a soft impact that met Ninten's reluctant friction.

The kiss, weak but caring, slowly became adventurous-like. They first savored the plush texture of each other's lips, the speed growing fervent. The tips of their tongues were randomly protracted, and it wasn't until they both met that they agreed to extend the output. Their lips then began to move in a frenzied passion. Their mouths opened wider, tongues brushing in and out with wet sounds of pleasure.

What started as tender became something the two had never prepared for, and yet the advance felt so natural. It was like tasting candy for the first time—they became addicted to each other's sweet tastes, and desired more and more.

Ninten wrapped both of his arms around Claus' upper back. His hands first gently pushed the other boy away, signaling for a pause in the kiss. He then slid down onto the bed of clothes, pulling Claus back towards him. The weight of the older boy's body dropped down upon the Ninten, and they both welcomed each other's warmth with an instinctive embrace. Their noses bumped gently, and lips making a rough collision, but they followed quickly with sloppier kisses and fearless sounds of pleasure. They returned into a moment of greater ecstasy.

In the darkness of their shut eyes, their vision suddenly grew brighter. They even heard a silent flicking sound. Both of them opened their eyes, and were surprised to see each other's pinked faces so easily.

Then they realized, the door was about to be opened.

Before they were found in a compromised situation, they quickly pushed each other away and stood up, patting down their clothes into a more natural position. They wiped the slobber off with their sleeves, drying their lips. They glanced at each other, exchanging a quiet conversation, agreeing to not speak of anything that had just happened for the moment.

Claus turned to the door as he heard the knob finally jiggle, and then twist open. Cool air entered the room as they met the faces of two theatre students seeking a costume replacement for a specific role in the play, though they did not expect to find two frustrated boys inside of the costume closet. It was a fortunate situation for both Claus and Ninten, as they both could finally escape.

The night of the theatre play continued with no uprising issues. At the end of the night, the two boys were finally acknowledged by a kind few students for their work, despite being missing for about two acts of the show. They left the school, walking home together.

It was yet another dark night, with cars rolling past them to either pick up their student from the play or leaving the area. It was a silent walk to the corner turn of the block—they spoke of nothing under the dimmed moonlight. It wasn't until they walked onto another street, and that no car rolled near them, that they decided to speak to each other again.

"So that was...something," Ninten spoke.

"Yeah, I guess," Claus responded.

No house around them had been lit through the windows. The street was quiet, filled with the natural wind blowing the grass and bushes on lawns. They finally had a moment to face each other in private once more, and this time, they could see each other's carefree grins.

Claus cleared his throat once, reassuring the situation. "So then," he began, "do you wanna do that again...sometime?"

Ninten softly snorted a chuckle. "Is that saying you want to ask me out?"

Claus nodded with a hum. The younger boy finally saw a sense of shy relief in the other boy's expression.

"Then I'd be glad to," Ninten answered.

Smiling at each other once more, Claus offered out his hand. Ninten happily reached for it and clasped it tight.

Everything around them had suddenly dropped out of the picture. Their eyes locked for another last moment before they began walking hand in hand down the sidewalk. It was hard to hold back in quickly deepening their blissful new relationship, but they were both just so happy for each other. And, Claus was especially satisfied that all of his previous worries were suddenly gone, now that he finally had someone of his own to love.


End file.
